The Sri Lankan leopard has a tawny or rusty yellow coat with dark spots and close-set rosettes, which are smaller than in Indian leopards. The Sri Lankan leopard has allegedly evolved to become a rather large leopard subspecies, because it is an apex predator without competition by other large wild cat species in the country. Melanistic leopards are rare.
Sri Lankan leopards are still found in all habitats throughout the island in both protected and unprotected areas. In Sri Lanka's central hills, they occur in forest patches, tea estates, grasslands, home gardens, and pine and eucalyptus plantations.
Sri Lankan leopards lead a solitary life, with the exception of females with young. Male's ranges typically overlap the smaller ranges of several females, as well as portions of the ranges of neighboring males. They are more active and prefer hunting at night, but are also somewhat active during dawn, dusk, and daytime hours. They rarely haul their kills into trees, which is likely due to the lack of intraguild competition and the relative abundance of prey. Sri Lankan leopards hunt by silently stalking their prey, until they are within striking distance when they unleash a burst of speed to quickly pursue and pounce on their victim. The prey is usually dispatched with a single bite to the throat. Leopards produce a number of vocalizations, including growls, snarls, meows, and purrs. Cubs call their mother with an 'urr-urr' sound. In order to warn intruders, leopards usually scratch trees, leaving claw marks. In addition, due to having a highly developed sense of smell, they often use scent marks.
Sri Lankan leopards are carnivores. Like most cats, they are pragmatic in their choice of diet, which can include small mammals, birds, and reptiles, as well as larger animals. Sri Lankan axis deer make up the majority of their diet in the dry zone. They also prey on sambar, Barking deer, Wild boar, and monkeys.
Little is known about the reproductive behavior of Sri Lankan leopards. In general, leopards have polygynandrous (promiscuous) mating system, where both males and females mate with a number of mates. They breed throughout the year. The gestation period lasts for 90-105 days, yielding from 2 to 4 cubs. Females give birth in a cave, crevice among boulders, hollow trees, or thicket. Cubs are born with closed eyes, which open 4 to 9 days after birth. Being extremely vulnerable in the wild, the cubs remain hidden, living in a secluded place, covered with dense vegetation. By the age of 6-8 weeks, the young attain their dark, woolly coat, covered with blurry patches, which serves young leopards as camouflage, allowing them to follow their mother around. Reaching the age of 3 months, the cubs are weaned, accompanying their mother on a hunt. On the whole, they remain with their mother for 18-24 months, after which they leave to find their own territories. Young leopards start breeding when they are between 2 and 3 years old.
Sri Lankan leopards are primarily threatened by increasing habitat loss and fragmentation, together with an increasing risk of human-induced mortality. These rare animals are killed by people either accidentally in wire snares set for other species, or as retaliation after livestock depredation (usually through poisoning the livestock carcass). They are also occasionally shot. Since 2010, over 90 leopards are known to have been killed by people in Sri Lanka.
According to IUCN Red List, as of 2015, the total population size of Sri Lankan leopards is 700-950 individuals. It is classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List. According to a Wikipedia resource, since 2020, the Sri Lankan leopard has been listed as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List, as the population is estimated at less than 800 mature individuals, and is probably declining.
As top predators leopards play a significant role in the local ecosystem by controlling the numbers and health of the populations of wild ungulate species.
